For families of Itaewon Crowd Crush victims, verdicts are a bittersweet victory

Relatives of the victims of a deadly 2022 crowd crush in South Korea expressed mixed emotions this week after three former police officers were convicted of destroying evidence linked to the episode, which left nearly 160 people dead in Seoul. Dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the investigation and the perceived leniency of the punishments was matched by relief that someone was finally being held accountable.

On Wednesday, a court found the three former officers guilty for their role in removing an internal report that warned of the potential for dangerous situations during that October weekend's Halloween festivities. Although others have been charged, these officers are the first people to be convicted of any crime related to the episode.

The verdicts were an unexpected victory for the victims' relatives, who had waited more than 15 months and began to lose faith that anyone would ever be held responsible.

“It took a long time, but it is a meaningful outcome because the court has clearly indicated where the police made the mistake,” said Lee Jeong-min, head of a survivors' association. “It sets a precedent and could influence future proceedings.”

Many officials will probably have to appear in court another day. Last month, Kim Kwang-ho, the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, was charged with negligence. He is the highest-ranking official yet to face criminal charges in connection with the disaster.

While families are relieved and hopeful that this is just the beginning of justice, they also say the sentences should have been harsher, said Yun Bok-nam, a lawyer representing them.

Park Seong-min, a senior official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, the only one of the three to receive jail time. The other two men, former Yongsan Police Station officers who destroyed the documents on Mr Park's orders, were given suspended sentences of one year in one case and four months in the other.

“The magnitude of the sin is too great,” said Lim Ick-chul, 68, whose son Lim Jong-won died in the crush of the crowd. “Every little detail, no matter how small, should have been thoroughly investigated.”

On October 29, 2022, thousands of people flocked to Itaewon, a district in Seoul known for its nightlife. Hundreds were trapped in a narrow alley around 10:30 p.m. They could not escape, fell on each other and died of suffocation.

The government then faced public outrage demanding answers – and an apology from whoever was found responsible.

Although President Yoon Suk Yeol's government launched an initial investigation that found dozens of panicked witnesses in Itaewon had called police asking for help in crowd control, Mr. Yoon last month vetoed a lawmakers' call for a special independent investigation to look deeper into the matter.

Victims' families have previously expressed frustration that senior officials such as the interior minister and the national police chief were cleared of wrongdoing.

They, together with civil society groups, are calling for the special investigation to be reconsidered. Lawmakers in the National Assembly can override the presidential veto with a two-thirds majority. According to Mr Yun, the lawyer for the victims' families, the likelihood of this happening is slim. “However, this is a large percentage and transfers, while possible, are not common.”

Mr Lim, the father of one of the victims, says that after more than a year of waiting, a painful process that “took too long”, he sees hope after Wednesday's court ruling. “There's nothing we can do to bring my son back,” he said. “But at least he and the other young people who died can finally rest in peace and dignity, knowing their deaths were not their fault.”